The Father Brings Jericho's Walls Down
For six days an army marches silently around a sealed city. On the seventh they circle seven times and shout, and our Father brings the wall down. Everything is devoted to destruction except Rahab's household, pulled out by the young men who had sworn to her.
6 1Now Jericho was shut tight because of the Israelites; no one went out and no one came in.
2Then our Father said to Joshua, "See, I have given Jericho, its king, and its mighty warriors into your hand.
3"March around the city, all you fighting men, circling it once. Do this for six days. 4Have seven priests carry seven rams' horns before the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times while the priests blow the horns. 5When the ram's horn sounds a long blast and you hear it, have all the people give a great shout. The city wall will fall flat, and each person will charge straight ahead."
6Joshua son of Nun called the priests and told them, "Take up the ark of the covenant, and have seven priests carry seven rams' horns before the ark of our Father."
7He told the people, "Advance! March around the city, and let the armed men go ahead of our Father's ark."
8When Joshua finished speaking, the seven priests carrying the seven rams' horns before our Father moved forward, blowing the horns, and the ark of our Father's covenant followed them. 9The armed men marched ahead of the priests blowing the horns, the rear guard behind the ark, horns sounding continually.
10But Joshua ordered the people, "Don't shout or let your voice be heard; not one word from your mouth until I say, 'Shout!' Then shout." 11So he made the ark of our Father circle the city once. Then they came to the camp and spent the night in the camp. 12Joshua got up early the next morning, and the priests took up the ark of our Father. 13The seven priests carrying the seven rams' horns before the ark of our Father marched on, blowing them steadily. The armed men led; the rear guard followed the ark of our Father as the horns sounded. 14So on the second day they marched around the city once and returned to camp. They did this for six days.
15On the seventh day they rose at dawn and circled the city as before, but this day seven times. 16The seventh time around, as the priests blew the horns, Joshua told the people, "Shout! For our Father has given you the city. 17The city and all in it are devoted to our Father for destruction. Only Rahab the prostitute and everyone with her in her house will live, because she hid the messengers we sent. a a v17 Devoted to our Father for destruction means everything was completely given over to God by being destroyed — no plunder could be taken for personal use. 18But keep away from what's set apart for destruction, so you don't bring destruction on yourselves by taking any of it, putting the whole camp of Israel in danger of destruction and bringing trouble on it. 19But all the silver, gold, and objects of bronze and iron are holy to our Father; they must go into his treasury."
20So the people shouted as the priests blew the horns. Hearing the trumpet, they gave a great shout, and the wall fell flat. The people charged into the city, each straight ahead, and captured it. 21They devoted everything in the city to destruction—men and women, young and old, oxen, sheep, donkeys—with the edge of the sword. b b v21 The devoting of Jericho to destruction is one of Scripture's hardest scenes: our Father's long-withheld judgment on a society given to cruelty and child sacrifice. Even here his mercy reaches out, rescuing Rahab and her whole household—the outsider who turned to him in faith. 22Joshua told the two men who had spied out the land, "Go to the prostitute's house and bring out the woman and all who belong to her, as you swore to her." 23So the young spies went in and brought out Rahab, her father, mother, brothers, and all who belonged to her. They brought out her whole family and settled them outside Israel's camp. 24They burned the city and everything in it, but put the silver, gold, and the bronze and iron articles into the storeroom of our Father's house. 25Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, her father's household, and all who belonged to her. She has lived among Israel to this day, because she hid the messengers Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.
26Then Joshua made them swear this oath: "Cursed before our Father is the man who rises to rebuild this city, Jericho. He will lay its foundation at the cost of his firstborn and set up its gates at the cost of his youngest." 27So our Father was with Joshua, and Joshua's fame spread throughout the land.
